Man accused of threatening family and president also charged with animal cruelty

The Dania Beach man accused of threatening to kill his wife, infant son, in-laws and the president, and whose house was fortified and stockpiled with more than $1 million in weapons and ammunition, is facing a new felony charge of animal cruelty, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.

During a first-appearance court hearing early Friday, a judge set a $2,500 bond on the new animal cruelty charge to Jason Simione's existing bond of $5 million.

Outside of court, his attorney David Bogenschutz said he intended to file a motion to reduce Simione's bond, stating that the current bond of $5 million was "not makeable" and is "equivalent to no bond at all."

"He is in the middle of a divorce, in divorces people say things that people are later ashamed of and don't really mean and we're dealing with it in this case," he said.

The judge did, however, grant Simione access to a handful of his employees, allowing him to contact them to continue monitoring his Fort Lauderdale business, Bulldog Tactical Equipment.

Simione, 39, was arrested Monday and charged with three counts of solicitation to commit first-degree murder, child abuse, and possession of an explosive device. He was accused of trying to hire a hitman from El Salvador for $150,000 to kill his estranged wife, her mother, her brother, Simione's 9-month-old son and President Barack Obama, court records showed.

The animal cruelty charge was added Thursday after Megumi Simione, 28, said her husband beat their 4-year-old Cane Corso Italian Mastiff more than once since February. Several of Jason Simione's co-workers also said they witnessed the animal abuse, the arrest report stated.

On one occasion Jason Simione was seen punching the dog in the face repeatedly until it had bloodshot eyes. Another time he beat the dog with a piece of wood, causing the injured animal to whimper and cry for several days, Megumi Simione said.

She said Jason Simione prevented her from seeking medical care for the dog. Once Jason Simione was arrested, the dog was examined at Broward Animal Care and Control and was returned to Megumi Simione.

When detectives questioned Jason Simione about the treatment of his dog, he admitted to beating his pet but explained he only hit the dog to protect a smaller dog, the arrest report stated.

His child suffered minor head trauma, cuts and bruises when Jason Simione threw him onto a table at work during an argument with an employee, according to his arrest affidavit.

His wife and employees at his company told detectives Jason Simione had been injecting steroids and, since splitting from his wife in February, had grown increasingly aggressive, paranoid and delusional.

Deputies found and seized nearly 70 rifles, shotguns and handguns, almost 70,000 rounds of ammunition and pipe bomb supplies from inside Jason Simione's home in the 4700 block of Southwest 35th Avenue. The arsenal was being held for safekeeping because all the weapons were legally owned, detectives said.